Collar-fastener.



No. 805,820. PATENTED NOV. 21, 1905.

A. REED.

COLLAR FASTENER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 28. 1904.

Inventor Attorney UNITED STATES PATENT. ornion. I

ADAM REED, OF MIDDLETOWN, DELAWARE, ASSIGNOR TO JOSEPH O. PARKER, OF MIDDLETOVVN, DELAWVARE.

COLLAR-FASTENER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 21, 1905.

Application filed January 28, 1904. $erial No. 191,021.

To all 1077,0711 it nw/y concern:

Be it known that I, ADAM REED, a citizen of the United States, residing at Middletown, in the county of Newcastle and State of Delaware, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Collar-Fasteners; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in horse-collar fasteners.

The object of the invention is to simplify and improve the construction of fastener shown and described in Letters Patent No. 746,575, granted to me December 8, 1903, the present invention retaining all of the advantages claimed in the patented article and also possessing additional advantages which faciltate the manufacturing of the device, and thereby lessening the cost of production, and which also aid in the manipulation or use of the fastener.

\Vith this and other objects in view the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, combination, and arrangement of parts, as will be more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the upper portion of a horse-collar, showing the invention thereto. Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view of the fastener removed from the collar and showing the members of the same in coupled position. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view through the coupled members of the fastener.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 and 2 denote the ends of the collar, to which are connected the members 3 and 4 of the fastener. The member 3 consists of an open frame or loop 5, which is preferably,- though not necessarily, rectangular in shape, as shown, The frame or loop 5 is formed of two side bars 6, which are connected together at their upper or outer ends by a cross-bar 7 and at their lower or inner ends by a cross-bar 8 and midway between the bars 7 and 8 by a central cross-bar 9. On the lower end of the frame 5 are formed laterally-projecting ears or lugs 10, having formed therein eyes 12, which are adapted to be engaged by straploops 13, secured to the upper end 1 of the collar. On the forward side bar 6 of the frame 5 or that side of the same adjacent to the front of the collar is formed an upwardlyprojecting substantially triangularly shaped lug or plate 14:, which is adapted to serve as a stop to prevent the forward movement or slipping off of the hames from the collar and which also affords a convenient handle or gripby which this member of the fastener and end of the collar may be brought and held up in place while being coupled with the fastener member 4 on the other end of the collar. It will be observed that the-specific shape of the plate 1& is that of an isosceles triangle presenting upright curved edges 1 and 14*, the longer edge 14c sloping toward the cross-bar 7 at the free or coupling end of the member 3 and the curvature thereof continuing to the outer or forward end of the outer or front side bar 6, thereby greatly strengthening the latter, on which the greatest strain comes. This construction also adapts the said plate 14: to be employed as a handgrasp to facilitate connection and disconnection of the fastener, as hereinafter described.

The member t of the fastener is in the form of a curved lever 15, which is preferably of skeleton form, as shown, and is provided at its inner end with laterally-projecting attaching-ears 16, in which are formed attachingeyes 17, by which the same are secured to the end 2 of the collar by strap-loops 18. The ears 16 are connected to the lever 15 and spaced from the same by short curved bars 19, which are engaged by the side bars 6 of the member 3 when the lever 15 has been inserted through the frame 5 of said member. The curved bars 19 also form cam projections which bear on the collar and on which the lever 15 is rocked to couple and uncouple the same with the member 3, and when the lever has been engaged with said loop or frame member 3 and turned down onto the collar said cam projections will be turned back beyond the point of their engagement with the collar, and.

thereby lock the lever in its turned-down or coupled position.

In coupling the members of the fastener the curved lever may be engaged with either the end cross-bar 7. or the central cross-bar 9 of the frame or loop member 5, thereby permitting an adjustable connection of the parts.

It has been found in practice that the fastener having two stop-lugs, as shown in the patent hereinbefore mentioned. is objectionable when used in connection with certain forms of harness. For instance, in harnesses provided with a back-strap extending from the top hame-strap to the crupper a lug on the rear side of the collar-fastener would be in the way. It has also been found that this rear lug is unnecessary, as the hames do not slip rearwardly on the collar, but only in a forward direction. thereby necessitating but one stop lug or plate 14, arranged on the for- Ward side of the fastener, as shown.

The lug 14: when arranged on the forward side of the hame-fastener will be found to be exceptionally advantageous when used in connection with flat-top collars, as the hames frequently slip off of this form of collar when backing a heavy load and will cause the rim to be turned from the body of the collar, which makes the collar worthless until it is repaired at very great expense. This forward slipping of the hames in flat-top collars is prevented, and the hames are securely held in place by the use of fasteners constructed as herein described.

In casting the lug 14 in the form of a solid triangular plate instead of open, as shown in my former patent, aconsid erable saving in the cost of manufacture is had, for the reason that in casting the open lug it is necessary to form a core in the mold, which makes the process of casting the fasteners much more expensive than when cast solid, as shown in the present instance. Furthermore, the present shape and arrangement of the lug or plate facilitates the handling of the same when bringing the parts together for coupling, as the edges lt and l4: not only form surfaces which are peculiarly adapted to form abutting surfaces for the base of the palm of the hand and bases of the fingers to abut against, but the solid form of the plate presents flat sides against which the fore portion of the palm and tips of the fingers may press to allow the lug or plate to be firmly grasped in one hand to hold the member 3 stationary while the other hand is used to draw upon and manipulate the member 4. By thismeans the parts of the fastener may not only be more quickly fastened and unfastened under normal conditions, but also operated with facility even when the hands are cold and numb, which is an important feature of the fastener.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction and operation of the invention will be readily understood without requiring a more extended explanation.

Various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The herein-described collar-fastener comprising the keeper member and the coupling member, the latter comprising the cross-bar having the pair of eyes at its ends, offset laterally therefrom and projecting in the same direction from one side thereof, said rod having the cams at the inner ends of the eyes forming lateral offsets on the rod, projecting in the opposite direction from the eyes, and acting to rock upon the collar, and thelever having one end united to the crossbar between and spaced from the eyes, the said lever extending from the cross-bar in the same general direction as the eyes.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ADAM REED.

Witnesses:

N ETTIE KEMP, Jos. (J. PARKER. 

